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66th Year -- No. 3653 Friday, February 19, 2021 www.mauritiustimes.com facebook.com/mauritius.times 18 Pages - ePaper MAURITIUS TIMES l One of the tests of leadership is the ability to recognize a problem before it becomes an emergency. -Arnold Glasow Interview: Dharam Gokhool “It is premature to suggest that the MSM will meet the same fate as the Wakashio shipwreck” + See Pages 7-8-9 Clamour for a New Beginning Quelques vérités bonnes à dire Doit-on s'attendre à voir apparaître aux élections de 2024 une formation politique ayant pour sigle BLD ou BZTD avec pour chef de file un des agitateurs du moment ? Et avec quel programme ? The people and the country need a competent and credible Par Jean-Max Baya * Voir Page 4 alternative new team to challenge the established order. Why the British abandoned impeachment - There is no place in politics for the dilettante bent on and what the US Congress might do next assuring a cushy career in politics By Eliga Gould, Professor of History, University of New Hampshire By Mrinal Roy * See Page 3 + See Page 2 Mauritius Times Friday, February 19, 2021 www.mauritiustimes.com Edit Page facebook.com/mauritius.times 2 The Conversation The Third Force Why the British abandoned impeachment he idea of ‘third force’ in the local poli- and reinvent themselves, though how is a big In the early 19th century, the tical landscape has surfaced a number interrogation mark. More specifically, Béren- Tof times at the approach of general ger and Duval are likely to see in Bruneau British found a more effective elections that have been held in the past cou- Laurette a challenger who will cull from the ple of decades, although it would be difficult to same electoral base from where they draw say exactly when. Nevertheless, it has been much of their strength. In that sense LP may way to handle a bad leader articulated quite loudly, more so nearer the have less of an issue because from the date of elections. We are in principle over beginning it has presented itself as the natio- mpeachment was three years away from a next general election, nal party under whose umbrella all colours of developed in me- and the surprise is that talk of the third force is the Mauritian rainbow have their place, though Idieval England as a already in the air. the leadership issue is also as big a concern way to discipline the here as in the other parties. king’s ministers and Perhaps it has to do with the debate about other high officials. The The next possibility is of course that Rama the search for alternative leaderships in the framers of the US Valayden and his Avengers formally begin to traditional political parties, through a process Constitution took that set up a new political party with an altogether of internal democratization rather than idea and applied it to different orientation and ideology than what through the dynastic route or being left to the presidents, judges and the existing parties have offered so far. While prerogative of the existing leader. But it may other federal leaders. also have gained enhanced traction with the it is true that they are showing great zeal and success of the protest movements triggered competence in exposing the government’s That tool was in use, The UK prime minister’s ‘question time’ is one key by government failures, inactions, and mis- failings and weaknesses, from there to formu- and in question, during lating and proposing an alternative that will be the second impeach- method by which the government’s leader can be held to governance and that have made as their bat- account by other lawmakers. UK Parliament via Wikimedia accepted as widely as possible is still a long ment trial of Donald tle cry nothing less than that the ‘government Commons, CC BY must go’. way off. Nando Bodha, who has recently re- Trump. Republicans signed from the MSM and his ministerial post, raised questions about In response, government has said a firm most famous – and longest – has also made known his intention to launch a both the constitutionality and the over- no: it is here to stay and complete its mandate. impeachment trial in British history. political party. He is reported to be working on all purpose of impeachment proceed- This therefore gives the diverse opposing its political manifesto, and it would seem that ings against a person who no longer The lower house of Parliament, the groupings that have made up the crowds at he would be positioning himself as the chal- holds office. House of Commons, impeached these street protests, as well as the political lenger of the current Prime Minister - no less. Warren Hastings, who had retired as Democrats responded that the governor-general of British India and parties belonging to the opposition, the space On the other hand, another call that has framers expected impeachment to be was back in England, for corruption or opportunity to come up with a challenger often been made is that parties and their lea- available as a way to deliver conse- and mismanagement. That action pro- strong enough or with sufficient credibility to ders must make way for younger blood that quences to a former official, and that vides a direct answer to one current take on the outgoing party at the next election. would infuse new ideas and smarter ways of refusing to convict Trump could open legal question: The charges were Viewed from this angle, the options that doing things. Unfortunately, the shenanigans the door to future presidential abuses based on what Hastings had done in seem to emerge are limited to a few scena- of some of the young parliamentarians that of power. India, making clear that a former offi- rios. The first one is that, riding on the wave of were inducted have put paid to this thesis, and An impeachment case that was cial could be impeached and tried, popularity as civic activists with a potential to in fact they have done a disservice to their active in Britain while the framers were even though he was no longer in mobilize huge crowds, one or other of the own segment of potential candidates who writing the Constitution in Philadelphia office. leaders, such a Bruneau Laurette, decides to could perhaps be genuinely inclined to con- helped inform the new American go- form a political party which may well be a front tribute to make the country better. Future US president John Adams, vernment structure. But the outcome for the powerful interests whence he is recei- who was in London at the time, pre- When all of this is put together, we may of that case – and that of another ving his backing, which remain unknown to dicted in a letter to fellow founder John well end up with a plethora of parties whose impeachment trial a decade later – sig- the wide public so far. The issue here is Jay that although Hastings deserved effect will be to disperse votes, and thus do naled the end of impeachment’s use- whether being a civic activist, however suc- to be convicted, the proceedings the game of an outgoing regime. But that does fulness in Britain, though the British cessful is qualification enough to rally the would likely end with his acquittal. not mean that a third force is not needed. Only system of government offered another broad range of competencies that are needed Nevertheless, Adams and Jay were that the one that emerges must reckon with way to hold officials accountable. to coalesce into a nation-wide party that will the political realities, and the challenge that a among those who supported the new take the country forward. strong incumbent represents – but most of all Impeachment in Britain US Constitution, whose drafters in The other scenario that naturally comes to be sufficiently credible to inspire trust and rally During the 17th century, the 1787 included impeachment, even mind is that the major parties -- MMM, Labour nation-wide support. English Parliament used impeach- though that method of accountability Party, PMSD – will not accept to fade away, ment repeatedly against the royal was close to disappearing from Britain. favourites of King Charles I. One, Nearing the end of its Thomas Wentworth, Earl of Strafford, usefulness went to the gallows in 1641 for sub- Mauritius Times verting the laws and attempting to The trial of Hastings, in Founder/Editor: Beekrumsing Ramlallah - Aug 1954-Sept 2000 raise an Irish army to subdue the Parliament’s upper house, the House king’s opponents in England. Although of Lords, didn’t actually begin until Editor-in-chief: M. Ramlallah / Senior Editor: Dr RN Gopee kings couldn’t be impeached, Parlia- 1788, and took seven years to con- This epaper has been produced with the assistance of ment eventually tried King Charles I for clude. Doojesh Ramlallah, Sultana Kurmally and Kersley Ramsamy treason too, sentencing him to death by public beheading on Jan. 30, 1649. Pearl House 4th Floor Room 406 - Sir Virgil Naz Street, Port Louis Tel: 5-29 29301 Tel/Fax: 212 1313 A century later, impeachment no Eliga Gould longer carried a risk of execution, but Professor of History, University of New Hampshire in 1786 the House of Commons [email protected] www.mauritiustimes.com facebook.com/mauritius.times launched what would become the * Cont. on page 11 Matters of the Moment Mauritius Times Friday, February 19, 2021 3 Clamour for a New Beginning The people and the country need a competent and credible alternative new team to challenge the established order.

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